Described herein are systems and methods for servicing storm water management technology and, more specifically, two-phase extraction and waste water regeneration systems and methods for servicing storm water management technologies. Further, the systems and methods described herein may include returning regenerated waste water to the point source.
As described herein, the phrase “storm water management technology” can be defined as technologies and structures used to catch water runoff. Much of this water comes from rain. As water flows towards the storm water management technology, additional “pollutants” are picked up and carried along with the water towards the storm water management technology. The pollutants may be liquids (e.g. oil and chemicals) and/or solids (e.g. soil, sand, gravel, and/or other debris). The combination of the rain (storm water) and the liquid pollutants is generally referred to as “waste water.” The combination of the rain (storm water) and the solid pollutants is generally referred to as “sediment.” Common storm water management technology, incorporates “gravity separation” of the waste water from the sediment. Exemplary storm water management technology includes, but is not limited to, storm drains, catch basins, water vaults, storm filter vaults, oil/water vaults, detention ponds, drywells, underground injection control (UIC), harvest tanks, and sediment manholes for holding waste water and solid waste mixed with the waste water. FIG. 1 shows the exemplary storm water management technology (point source 100) in which the storm water and debris is divided into a top liquid portion (waste water 102) and a bottom solid portion (sediment 104).
In 1972, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) amended the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (the Clean Water Act or CWA) to provide statutory basis for their permit program, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), and the basic structure for regulating the discharge of pollutants from point sources to waters of the United States (receiving waters). EPA regulations and/or other state regulations may, therefore, require that non-hazardous waste water treatment be performed on waste water and sediment associated with storm water management technology near commercial facilities and the parking lots of commercial facilities. Typical maintenance methods of storm water management technology require regular cleaning and service.
One of the most common maintenance methods is the cleaning and commercial service provided by Vactor trucks. Vactor trucks simply vacuum or collect the combined waste water and sediment at the source of collection (also referred to as the point source or the storm water management technology).
Waste water treatment systems are designed using “standard principles of waste water treatment” to achieve a specific water quality. These principles consist of a wide variety of treatment technologies to achieve a specific water quality. Standard systems are fabricated and offered as static (stationary) units and/or as mobile (temporary) treatment systems. The parameters for water quality are determined by the intended use and are set forth by EPA regulations and parameters. Water quality standards are categorized based on treatment for human consumption, industrial use, or use in the environment.
The following references describe systems that may be used for comparison and contrast with the systems and methods described herein.                U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,893 to Shaddock is directed to an industrial loader vehicle that handles both wet and dry waste materials. The vehicle has a single engine driving the vehicle to a pick-up site, powering all of the components to load the vehicle at the site, driving the vehicle to an unloading site, and dumping the waste materials as desired at the unloading site.        U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,539 to Sheppard et al. is directed to an apparatus for cleaning waste collection systems of solid materials using normal and injected water flow to suspend the solids in a slurry. A submersible pump moves the slurry from a collection point up to a pressurized container where the water content of the slurry is decanted and reused as injection water while the particulate material settles to the bottom of the pressurized container. When the container is filled with solid material it may be removed for emptying at a waste dump.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,630 to Bohrer is directed to a vehicle mounted high pressure water cleaning apparatus (pressure washer) includes a water delivery system, hydraulic system, and an electrical system working together to provide, alternatively, high pressure water for a cleaning operation, or recirculation of high pressure water back to a water tank. The hydraulic system is operable to either direct water toward a cleaning operation, or to wind in or extend out the water delivery hose while either supplying water to the delivery hose under pressure or recirculating the water back to the water tank.        U.S. Pat. No. 7,909,910 to Benner is directed to a vacuum clean-out system including a separator chamber and an associated collection chamber for removing liquid material and debris from a vacuum output and providing a vacuum return line free of contaminants. A vacuum exhaust line is coupled to a cyclonic separator chamber that induces a circular rotation within the incoming vacuum stream, causing the liquid and debris to impinge the chamber's surfaces and fall to the bottom thereof while the “clean” vacuum is drawn upwards into a return line.        U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0147293 to Imahashi is directed to a waste water treatment ship that purifies and treats oil bearing waste water collected from a ship or the sea.        